


The State of Dreaming

by bi_swan_trash



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dream Sharing, F/F, Gen, Magic, Soulmates, Young Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2019-07-27 08:30:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16215314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bi_swan_trash/pseuds/bi_swan_trash
Summary: At 16 Regina and Emma find that, not only do they dream share, they single dream share. And in this world? That's dangerous. If anyone finds out, their soulmate connection could be severed forever. Everything could be compromised when they find out that they're all connected in ways they didn't expect.





	1. Information and Misinformation

**Author's Note:**

> So this prompt BLEW UP when I released it for Day 3 "Dream Sharing" of Winter Swan Queen Week 2K18. I was told that if I continued it, I'd have over a dozen people interested. And finally... here it is! I hope it lives up to everyone's standards!

Regina stared out the window. The trees outside were just changing from green to gold as the air started to cool. She watched a few stray leaves break away from the tree and spiral down until landing on the well kept grass of the school grounds.

The bell rang as students rushed to their seats last minute.

“Alright class! As I’m sure you’ve been preparing for, today we’re going to be talking about dream sharing,” Ms. French, the sex ed teacher, told her class.

The room was abuzz immediately. It took almost a minute to calm them so she could continue.

“In the next year or so you will start dream sharing with your future soulmate,” she told them.

Regina had always wondered why they bothered to have sex ed at all if everyone knew who their soulmate was by sixteen. Then again…

She looked over and saw August Booth mooning over her best friend Kathryn Nolan.

_ There’s no way they’re soulmates. _

Some people had sex with different people. She knew this. She also knew she wouldn’t be one of them. Her mother had made it quite clear that her first time would be after her wedding.

“You won’t know right away,” Ms. French continued. “They may seem like regular dreams at first. But as you get older you may be able to recognize and learn to control them.”

Ms. French then spent the next hour outlining ways to control dreams and what sort of things people did to send their soulmates messages.

“Now, don’t get discouraged if you don’t meet them right away. It usually takes years to learn how to control your dreams enough to communicate with the other person. According to our state’s statistics, in Maine, the median age people find their soulmate is 23, so you have quite a while before you might find your mate.”

Regina rolled her eyes as disgruntled whispers and mournful sighs went around the room. She knew firsthand that people didn’t always find their soulmate at sixteen.

The bell rang and everyone packed up their things to shuffle to their next class.

“Weird lesson, huh?” Kathryn said as she and Regina walked toward their lockers.

Regina spun the lock and pulled open her locker door.

“Well I think August is hoping you two dream share soon,” Regina told her, neatly tucking her sex ed books away and pulling out her Elemental Charms book.

“Ugh, I hope not,” Kathryn replied, leaning against the lockers with her back.

She crossed her arms and grimaced at the thought.

“Who do you want it to be?” Regina asked, laughing at the face Kathryn made.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe David Charming?” Kathryn told her, looking out into the distance at nothing.

“Kathryn, you can’t be serious,” Regina scoffed. “He only has eyes for Mary Margaret. And that’s one match that I wouldn’t be surprised about.”

“Well who are  _ you _ hoping for then?” Kathryn needled.

“No one in particular,” Regina said nonchalantly, closing her locker and starting to walk away.

“That’s a lie,” Kathryn accused, hurrying to catch up. “You hope it’s Daniel Colter.”

“So what if I do?” Regina asked, a little annoyed.

“Nothing’s wrong with that, Regina,” Kathryn answered, slightly taken aback. “Why are you snapping at me like this?” By then, they’d reached Regina’s Elemental Charms class.

Regina stopped just short of the door. “Because why get my hopes up?” She then disappeared into her next class, leaving Kathryn behind.

***

Regina avoided Kathryn for as long as she could, but at the end of the day, Kathryn caught up to her sitting in the student lounge.

“I didn’t know bringing up Daniel was such a sore subject,” Kathryn said, gingerly sitting on the armrest of Regina’s chair.

“I’m sorry for snapping at you,” Regina sighed, running a hand through her hair before slamming shutting the book she was reading. “I’m just afraid to hope, you know? Everything I hope for turns to ashes, Kat.”

Kathryn gave her a sad smile and squeezed her hand. “Hey, even if he’s not Daniel… he’ll be your soulmate, okay?”

Regina returned the smile and leaned into her friend. “You’re right. I’m being stupid.”

“I wouldn’t say that. Daniel’s cute, so I see the appeal,” Kathryn replied.

Regina rolled her eyes. “You’re incorrigible.”

“Alright, Miss Fancy Pants!” Kathryn joked.

Regina laughed and stood up, packing her bag. “Your house?” Regina asked, swinging her backpack over her shoulders.

“And escape your mother for a few more hours? Always.”

***

When Regina arrived home promptly at six o’clock, she washed up and sat neatly at the dinner table.

Dinner was always an act in the Mills house. Everyone was asked about their day, but almost no one truly cared. The only person who did, was Regina’s father, Henry.

“How was your day, mija?” Henry asked his daughter.

“We learned about dream sharing today,” Regina told him right away.

“How thrilling,” Cora exclaimed, leaning forward a tad.

Regina saw the glint in her mother’s eye and knew it wasn’t excitement for her, but for the prospects she had in lifting Cora up through a powerful marriage.

“It’s maddening,” Zelena commented, breaking Henry and Cora’s attention away from Regina. “You wake up  _ knowing _ it was a shared dream, but have no way to just dive back in and explain who you are.”

“That’s why you must learn to  _ control _ it, Dear,” Cora said sharply, pursing her lips, leaning back in her chair, back straight.

Regina, angled her head down toward her plate. Zelena and their mother had been having a silent-- and other times, not-so-silent-- stand-off about Zelena’s inability to locate her soulmate for the past three and a half years. Cora refused to let Zelena go off to college, claiming it would be too much of a temptation to defile her purity.

“Ms. French told us that the median age of finding your soulmate is 23,” Regina chimed in.

“If it takes that long for you girls to find suitable husbands, so be it,” Cora stood firm. “But you won’t be leaving this house until you do.”

Regina swallowed and gave a small nod. “May I be excused?”

“Yes, Dear,” Cora replied before brightening a bit. “Don’t forget, we have Elias Gold’s party to prepare for next month.”

“Yes, Mother.”

As Regina pushed away from the table, her father cleared his throat.

“Regina? Could I see you in the library in an hour? I have a book I think you’d like.”

“Yes, Father,” she replied with a smile.”

She knew her mother was giving her a disapproving look. Cora would never understand the pure joy of a new adventure to discover within the pages of a book and she disliked the fact that Henry encouraged it so much in Regina.

Despite her mother’s displease, an hour later Regina found herself in their expansive library, knowing exactly where to find her father.

When she was little, Henry built her a private cubby with plenty of cushions and just the right amount of light. Regina couldn’t count the amount of hours she’d spent there, devouring everything she could in their library.

“What did you find?” Regina asked, a glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

Henry laughed and conjured up a book. It was smaller than she anticipated, as she’d graduated to chapter books early on.

“It’s called  _ Gossamer _ ,” he told her. “I know it’s a bit young, but since you learned about dream sharing today, I thought you might enjoy it.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she said, using her affectionate name for him.

“Why don’t you sit, mija?”

Regina did as he asked, sensing something more in his tone. He hadn’t brought her here just for a book.

“I don’t want you to feel pressure to find your soulmate right away, Regina,” he started. “I know your mother is pretty insistent on it, but things change after you find your other half.”

“Isn’t that part of growing up?” Regina asked.

Henry tapped her shoulder, signaling to her that she should turn. She knew that meant it was a harder topic for him to talk about and he needed a distraction. In this case, braiding her hair.

Regina didn’t mind. Him braiding her hair transported her back to childhood. It felt safe and comfortable to her.

“When you find your soulmate, everything feels like it has clicked in place. But it’s not always the easier relationship to keep. You have to put in hard work to keep… to keep it under control.”

Regina was so startled she almost pulled away. “Ms. French told us that relationships take work, but what do you mean by ‘under control’?”

Henry gave the completed braid a little tug. “All finished.”

Regina turned and gave him a confused look.

“Just enjoy your life, mija,” he told her. “Don’t stress about what may or may not happen. Anyone would be lucky to love you.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple before leaving her with only the book he gave her and the silence of the library.

***

A few weeks later, Regina had her usual reoccurring dream she had at least twice a month-- the only dream she ever had.

She was in an open field, the breeze blowing just right. Her hair braided in a way specific to her father’s work. She was wearing her favorite outfit and carrying her favorite book.

As she walked to the middle of the meadow where she knew a hammock would be waiting for her. However, when she arrived, there was a swan sitting in it. Annoyed, she threw her book at it.

Instantly she woke up in a cold sweat. Odd… that was normally a good dream.

Her mind drifted back to Ms. French’s lesson over shared dreams. It couldn’t be…

She leapt out of bed and retrieved her class notebook, where she had neatly written down all the ways she could control her dreams.

She glanced up at the clock. She only had a few more hours to sleep. That wasn’t nearly enough time.

She resigned herself to getting as much sleep as she could before school and trying again tomorrow night.

***

The next week she focused her mind before bed. Regina prided herself at being a quick learner and this was to be no exception-- especially with Mother breathing down Zelena’s neck. She didn’t want to be next.

However, she was having very little success and it was noticeably interfering with her sleep schedule.

“What’s going on with you?” Kathryn asked one day while they were walking home.

Regina had practically fallen asleep in class that morning when she was normally the most alert student, answering all questions and asking a few of her own.

“I’m just tired,” Regina growled.

“I’ll say, but why?” Kathryn prodded.

“I…” Regina sighed.

“They’ve started, haven’t they?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘they’ have started. It’s only one dream,” Regina admitted casually.

“What?” Kathryn came to a dead stop.

“What what?” Regina asked, halting a few steps in front of her.

“Are you sure it’s only one?”

“It’s been months. Besides, I only  _ ever _ have one dream. So yeah, I’m sure,” Regina told her.

“Regina… soulmates that only share one dream… that’s rare,” Kathryn told her.

“Ms. French never said anything about that in class.”

“That’s because it hasn’t happened in, like, fifty years.”

“Well that seems ridiculous,” Regina replied, walking forward again.

“No, it’s bigger than soulmates,” Kathryn insisted, catching up to her and holding her by the arm. “Soulmates that share one specific dream have a powerful amount of magic between them.”

“Mother will be pleased, then,” Regina said, frowning slightly at that thought. As much as she wanted her mother to approve of her soulmate, Regina didn’t want to live under her control forever.

“You can’t tell anyone else,” Kathryn told her quickly.

“Why not?”

“If the magical community finds out they’ll keep you separate forever.”

“That can’t be right,” Regina replied, frowning even deeper.

“It is,” Kathryn said. “I could probably find a few articles at the library.”

“Fine. I want proof,” Regina told her.

“Okay, but I warned you,” Kathryn said.

The pair changed direction from their house toward the library.

Regina was certain they would find nothing, but the stiffness of her friend as they walked made her uneasy about their upcoming research.

***

It turned out that Kathryn was right. She had to do a bit of digging, but she picked up article after article about soulmates that single dream shared and brought them back to the table that she and Regina were occupying in the library.

Regina skimmed dozens of articles about the first identified couple that single dream shared and how they nearly destroyed an entire community. From that point on, any teenagers that spoken about single dream sharing was prevented from finding their other half.

The more she read, the more horrified and sick to her stomach she felt. If Kathryn hadn’t warned her of the implications, she could’ve been one of these people, forcibly ripped from her soulmate forever.

“There are plenty of rumors as to why there haven’t been single dream sharers in so long,” Kathryn told her, biting into an apple she’d brought with her. “One rumor is that word doesn’t get out that a couple has been identified. Another one is that couples who realize early, go into hiding. The most interesting rumor is that single dream sharers have a proclivity for coming from single dream families and that all or most of the gene has died off.”

“I don’t come from a single dream share family,” Regina said certainly. She loved her parents-- each in their own way-- but they weren’t the happiest of couples.

“Maybe your soulmate does,” Kathryn suggested.

“Or maybe it’s like you said-- rumors,” Regina said absentmindedly, still flipping through the article in front of her. Something about an ancient tattoo.

Kathryn shrugged. “Either way, you can’t tell anyone.”

Regina looked over the article she currently held at the sea of material she had just read through. Keeping it a secret was obvious. She didn’t want to end up lonely, torn from her other half.

“I have to find him, then,” Regina said with determination.

“Wait, look at this,” Kathryn said, mid bite of her apple.

Regina sidled over to her friend and looked at where her friend was pointing.

“What is that?”

“It’s… well it’s sort of an old and slightly forbidden way of controlling your dreams,” Kathryn admitted.

“What do you mean by ‘slightly’?” Regina asked. “And why didn’t Ms. French tell us about any of this?”

Regina was confused and hurt that Ms. French hadn’t mentioned oddities in dream sharing. Wasn’t it her job to warn them of possible trials?

“The government doesn’t take into account people like us, Regina,” Kathryn said. “They don’t expect sixteen-year-olds to go searching through old archives about single dream sharers or other ways to control dreams. They set the curriculum and Ms. French teaches it.”

“Why is this one illegal, then?” Regina asked.

“Because it has a high risk of being dangerous,” Kathryn explained. “Doing this might make you lose control of your body.”

“What happens? You can’t get up? You die?” Regina pressed.

Kathryn shrugged. “No one knows. Not  _ for sure _ , anyway.”

“Explain,” Regina demanded, sitting down.

Kathryn pulled out an article that looked like it was ancient. “There was… a study done once. Completely unethical, never fully released or proven. One man claimed that using this method-- especially with single dream sharers-- caused the soulmates to switch bodies.”

“Why would that make it illegal?” Regina asked.

“We haven’t taken illicit magic yet, but body swapping is one of the most illegal forms of magic,” Kathryn told her. “You could be tried for kidnapping, treason, or worse. There are just too many possibilities and the government outlawed it because of that.”

Regina took in a shaky breath. “What percentage of non-single dream sharers can achieve this?”

“The numbers say less than 1%,” Kathryn told her.

“And… single dream sharers?”

“50% if one soulmate does it and… 100% if both soulmates use this technique on the same night.”

Regina pushed back from the table, imagining the prospects. Using this technique made controlling the dream easier, meaning she would have a better shot at connecting with her soulmate-- a better chance at escaping Mother-- but using it also meant that she and her soulmate might switch bodies. And if anyone else found out, they could face serious consequences.

“I want to try,” Regina whispered. “If my soulmate comes to school as me tomorrow I’m counting on you to help him.”

“Regina, it’s dangerous!” Kathryn exclaimed.

“Don’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious.”

“I…” Kathryn hesitated. Regina could tell she wanted to know if it was possible. “Okay, fine, I’ll take care of him.”

Regina stood up and hugged her best friend. “Thank you.”

“You better  _ hope _ no one finds out.”

***

That night Regina settled down into bed like usual. But she knew this wasn’t like every other night. She’d set out an appropriate outfit with a note on it in case her soulmate woke up in her body.

As she laid there, she stayed very still, deepening her breathing like she was already asleep, attempting to trick her body into putting her into sleep paralysis.

She felt it in her toes first and the sensation inched up her body, while at the same time it fogged up her head.

_ Stick with it, Regina. Perseverance! _

She didn’t know how long she could sit still like that, the feeling very uncomfortable, when…

She was in an open field, the breeze blowing just right. Her hair braided in a way specific to her father’s work. She was wearing her favorite outfit and carrying her favorite book.

As she walked to the middle of the meadow where she knew a hammock would be waiting for her. However, when she arrived, there was a swan sitting in it.

“Don’t scare it away,” she whispered to herself.

As she cautiously walked toward the swan, it noticed her, quickly getting out of the hammock as if apologizing for being in her space.

_ Strange. Animals don’t normally act like that. Unless… _

Regina dug into the recesses of her conscious mind, retrieving an animal to human transformation spell.

She approached the swan as it curiously regarded her, letting her approach it. When she was mere inches away she recited the spell.

In an vortex of purple smoke, the swan transformed into a beautiful blonde, but before they had a chance to speak, their hands touched and Regina felt a shock go through her body before everything went dark.


	2. Body Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma and Regina body swap. Kathryn has Emma's best interests in mind, but who does Regina have?

When Emma Swan woke up she was disoriented. She was most certainly  _ not _ in her room.

She sat up quickly and noticed a pile of clothes-- again, not hers. On top of the clothes was a note.

_ Dear soulmate, _

_ After you read this I need you to destroy it. My name is Regina Mills and I may have used illegal magic to find out who you are? Okay, I most certainly did. Using this technique we may have switched bodies, hence the note. I need you to be me for the day. I know I set myself up for a slight disadvantage in your body, but I’ve told my best friend, Kathryn Nolan (she’ll approach you) about what might happen. _

_ Body swapping is illegal, so I need you to try your best to be me... _

 

There were a few more pages with detailed instructions, but Emma’s mind was reeling. She and her soulmate had  _ body-swapped _ . And her soulmate is a  _ woman _ .

She ran to to the mirror to examine her temporary face-- the face of her soulmate.

_ Wow, she beautiful _ , Emma thought.

With the adrenaline dying down a bit, Emma felt her magic buzzing under her skin. Odd. She’d always been pretty powerful, but this felt different. Normally she had no issues calling up her magic, but now it felt like it was begging to break through.

Emma shrugged it off-- not wanting to deal with those consequences right now-- and read the the rest of Regina’s letter. She knew she had to follow it the best she could.

She glanced over at the pile of clothes again. Skirts were not Emma’s thing, but she assumed Regina must wear them regularly.

She quickly undressed and re-dressed, forcing herself to look anywhere but her soulmate’s body. Following directions, she went into a bathroom attached to the room.

_ Thank god she has a private bathroom. _

There were post it notes telling her where everything was, just as promised. She followed everything the letter told her to do and then waited in the alcove for Regina’s sister.

Regina told Emma that Zelena would walk her to school, as Zelena worked there as an office secretary.

“Ready to go?” Zelena asked, rushing down the stairs.

Emma nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was utterly terrified of outing herself as Emma Swan and not Regina Mills.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Zelena commented.

“Just tired,” Emma answered. A standard answer that she hoped would work. This morning she’d nearly insulted Regina’s mother while waiting for Zelena to rescue her and had to think on her feet to get out of  _ that _ situation.

Zelena hurrumped. “Trying to send your soulmate a message? Of course you’ll find yours before I find mine. You’re Miss Perfect.”

“I’m sorry, Zelena, I’m not-”

“It’s fine, Regina,” Zelena sighed, yanking the door open. “We all know why I don’t match up.”

Emma’s eyes widened as she stared at the ground in front of her. This is not safe territory.

She dutifully followed Zelena out of the house, but Zelena was not quite finished with her tirade.

“It’s okay to say it outloud! I’m a bastard child!” Zelena exclaimed.

“Zelena, really. I don’t think of you like that,” Emma hurried to say.

“Whatever,” Zelena sighed.

The rest of the walk was completely silent.

“We’re here. Get to homeroom,” Zelena said, slumping away.

Emma was nearly sweating. Getting to school was mapped out for her, but even with the class number, finding her homeroom class was slightly more difficult.

Emma was starting to get nervous. Where was Kathryn?

“Regina!” Kathryn called.

Emma whipped around to see a small blonde coming her way. She stayed silent, not sure what to say.

“I need to talk to you,” the blonde said, nonchalantly.

Oh crap. She wasn’t even sure if this was Kathryn, but she didn’t have a choice but to follow her.

She led Emma to the bathroom and turned toward her expectantly. “So?”

“So…?”

Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re either a really good liar, Regina or… you’re not Regina.”

Emma shuffled her feet and scratched the back of her neck nervously. “Are you Kathryn?”

“Oh my god! Wow… okay. Keep it together, Kathryn,” Kathryn babbled to herself. She took a deep breath and stuck out her hand. “Hi. Kathryn Nolan, official best friend to Regina Mills, and your caretaker for the day.”

Emma shook Kathryn’s hand even if she felt a little silly. “Um… Emma Swan, Regina’s… soulmate, very confused and overwhelmed.”

Kathryn took a small step forward. “Emma, huh?”

“Surprise! Regina’s queer!” Emma chuckled nervously.

“That’s neither here nor there,” Kathryn replied, waving it off. “I probably could’ve guessed.”

Emma smiled, nervously tucking a strand of Regina’s hair behind her ear.

“So… Maine,” Emma started. “At least… that’s where Regina told me I am in her note.”

“Oh shit,” Kathryn whispered. “You’re not from  _ Maine?” _

“Nope,” Emma told her, shrugging.

“Where do you live?”

“Massachusetts. Boston, to be exact,” Emma answered.

“Interesting,” Kathryn mused. “Well, we have  _ a lot _ to talk about today!”

Emma smiled at her nervously again, glad to have a guide-- she only hoped Regina was doing alright in her foster home.

***

When Regina woke up that morning she most certainly wasn’t in her own room. She wasn’t even  _ alone _ .

She sat up with a start and realized that there were four other girls of varying ages all crammed into a small room.

She looked at the clock and sighed. She had no idea what time this girl went to school or even where it  _ was _ .

_ Dammit _ .

Examining herself, she also realized her magic was pulsing much closer to the surface of her skin than normal.

Regina pushed it down and took a calming breath before getting up to use the bathroom. God, there were so many toothbrushes. However, upon further inspection they were, gratefully, labeled.

“Christ, what the fuck you up so early for?” a middle-aged woman asked.

“Had to use the bathroom,” Regina simply said.

“Well hurry the fuck up.”

Regina closed the door and pressed herself against it.

This was going to be a long day.

***

Picking out clothes hadn’t been too hard-- Emma didn’t have much.

By another stroke of luck, there was a boy in the house that also walked to the high school. In total there were eleven people in one house. Regina had always felt smothered by her Mother’s constant presence, but she’d never been so suffocated in her entire life than she had that morning.

“Can’t believe you’re walking so close to me, Swan,” the boy spat. “After the shit you said to my friend yesterday?”

Oh no… her soulmate was a hard-ass and Regina didn’t know if she could keep up that facade…

“Well… he… he fucking deserved it,” Regina finally replied.

The boy grunted and the rest of the walk was in silence. Regina made it a point to drift a bit farther from him to try and keep up appearances.

Regina breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the school, but then she had  _ no clue _ where she was going.

Fuck. Why did she do this so unprepared?

“Ems! Hey, Ems! Girl, slow down!” Regina heard someone shouting behind her.

Running footsteps slowed next to her.

_ “Emma,” _ a boy called to her. “Didn’t you hear me?”

“Sorry, distracted,” Regian muttered.

“Can’t be too distracted for this guy,” he pointed to himself with his thumbs.

Regina bit her lip, unsure how to proceed. She was obviously supposed to know him.

“Damn, I’ve left her speechless,” he finally said. “Usually I have to do this to get that reaction.”

Suddenly he was pulling her close by the hips and kissing her.

Regina was so startled she didn’t know what to do.  _ Please let this be over soon. _

She couldn’t pull away because she couldn’t let him know that she wasn’t his girlfriend, but when he pulled back she could tell he knew something was up.

“You good?”

“I’m just tired,” Regina lied. “I didn’t get much sleep.”

“Was it April again? Snores like a fucking bear, I swear,” he replied.

“Y-yeah,” Regina faltered.

“Now that I think about it, you look… different,” he studied her.

_ Goddamn _ .

Regina was running out of options.

“How well do I trust you?” she asked him.

“Um… what do you mean?” he asked, scratching the back of his head.

“Would you say you’re the person I’m closest to?”

“Em… we’ve known each other for like eight years. We always find each other in this fucked up foster system. What do  _ you _ think?” he asked, starting to get angry.

This boy was her best chance.

“I need to speak to you,” Regina flicked her eyes around the hall. “Privately.”

He looked around. “We haven’t skipped in awhile,” he said. “Johnnie’s?”

Regina just nodded, not sure what else to do. She was nauseous from suppressing the extra magic, but she swallowed it down and followed Neal out of the building.

He led her to the side of the school and through a chink in the chain link fence.

They were quiet for awhile as they walked.

“So,” he started. “What did you wanna talk about?”

Regina stopped abruptly, facing this boy who thought he was looking at his girlfriend when, in fact, he was looking at his girlfriend’s soulmate.

“I have to tell you some things I’m not sure you’ll believe,” Regina started.

“We promised never to lie to each other and I trust you,” he told her.

Regina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not Emma.”

He looked at her, amused. “Alright, Ems. I see you’re testing the pact, but seriously. What do you wanna tell me?”

“I’m not kidding,” she pressed. “I don’t even know your name.”

He grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. Holding up a hand and waving it in her face. “Emma, it’s Neal. Are you delirious? Are you okay?”

Regina swallowed. “Neal. Okay, Neal. I’m fine. I just… my name is Regina and… and…” Regina sighed and lowered her voice, “I’m Emma’s soulmate.”

Neal stepped back in shock. He reached up to rub the back of his head again.

“Guess I knew we weren’t forever,” he said. “But a guy can dream.”

“I’m sorry to break it to you like this!” Regina rushed out. “I didn’t even think about the possibility of my soulmate  _ dating _ someone when I did this!”

“Emma stopped believing in soulmates a long time ago,” Neal said. “We’ve seen too many shitty couples for that to hold any meaning to us.”

“I’m sorry to drop all this on you,” Regina apologized.

Neal shrugged. “It hurts, I won’t lie, but Emma is my best friend and always will be.”

“You’re a really great guy,” Regina said.

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Neal laughed.

“Sorry!” Regina apologized quickly. “The guys at my school aren’t always the best people.”

“When you’ve lived on the streets together, it’s hard not to bond,” Neal told her.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“You can’t tell anyone about this,” Regina said after a long silence. “I’m… here illegally.”

“Illicit magic,” Neal said.

“You’ve taken it?”

“My deadbeat father hunts illicit magic,” Neal shrugged. “The higher up stuff, not teens,” he added, seeing Regina’s face.

“Well… Emma and I might have more illicit magic than you’re thinking.”

***

Over food at Johnnie’s, Regina filled Neal in on everything-- including the single dream sharing.

“Oh fuck,” Neal muttered. He sat back in the booth, running his hands over his face.

“I know it’s a lot to take in-”

“Regina,” Neal hissed. “My father-- the man who literally put me in foster care because he was so power hungry and wanted to get to the top--  _ hunts _ single dream sharers. He hunts all illicit magic, but that’s his specialty.”

“Okay, well that’s why only four people know and only four people  _ need _ to know,” Regina told him.

_ “Who else knows?”  _ Neal exploded in a hushed whisper.

“Me, Emma, you, and my friend Kathryn,” Regina told him.

“And is this Kathryn trustworthy?”

“I couldn’t very well do this with the possibility of Emma taking over my life for a day without giving her a  _ guide _ ,” Regina argued.

“And yet you did it without putting anything in place for yourself. Real smart, Em- er… Regina,” Neal stumbled. “Sorry, you’re still in her body and it’s disorienting.”

“I’m aware,” Regina answered.

“Alright, well, Emma and I skip every once in awhile, so this won’t be too much of a red flag,” Neal decided. “Skate park?”

Regina blanched. “I… I’ve never skated.”

Neal grinned. “Today’s your lucky day, then.”

***

That night, Emma did as the letter instructed. She burned it hours ago, but she memorized the important parts.

_ Alright Emma, you can do this. _

She took deep breaths and laid very still. She felt it in her toes first and the sensation inched up her body, while at the same time it fogged up her head-- exactly how Regina told her it would feel.

Suddenly, she was in her dream. A few months ago a hammock had appeared so she sat in it. But she had clearly been trespassing, because this huge horse approached her, steaming mad. It wasn’t until the night before that the horse turned into Regina.

“Regina?” Emma called.

“Over here,” Regina called from Emma’s body.

“Well this is surreal,” Emma muttered. She walked toward her cautiously-- she didn’t want to switch back just yet.

“Was Kathryn good to you?” Regina asked.

“The best,” Emma replied.

“I guess she knows I’m bi, now,” Regina said, blushing.

“She actually took that pretty well,” Emma replied. “Um… how was your day?”

“Erm… I had to tell Neal about,” Regina gestured between them, “... all of this.”

“Oh…” Emma looked down at the ground. She hadn’t completely forgotten about Neal today, but he wasn’t her number one thought like he usually was. “How’d he take it?”

“He’s upset, but he promised you’d stay friends. That you’d been through too much for this to pull you apart,” Regina replied. “He also helped me skip school… and took me to the skate park. Thank god for muscle memory. You’re very athletic.”

Emma laughed before getting serious again. “So… you met my… my…”

“I’m sorry,” is all Regina could say.

Emma shuffled her feet. “I’m used to it, it’s okay.”

“I’m going to come find you,” Regina promised.

“Kathryn told me we have to be careful.”

Regina smiled sadly. “Yeah, we do, but… you’re worth it.”

“You hardly know me,” Emma replied, confused as to why anyone would ever look at her with such love.

“I can’t wait to get to know you better,” Regina told her.

At that, Regina took Emma’s hand and everything went dark.


	3. The One Where They Have a Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Emma face the morning after their body swaps. Regina then finds out some interesting news about Neal's father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween Ghosts, Ghouls, and Goblins! I hope you're still around and excited for this story! I apologize for the month-long hiatus, I've been adjusting to a second job, but never fear! I have big plans for this story yet!

Regina woke with a start. She looked around and was relieved to find that she was back in her own room. She only hoped she hadn’t caused too much damage on the other side.

She groaned as she felt her heightened magic awakening beneath her skin. She shoved it down.

As she got ready for the day, she noticed a small post-it note in her bathroom cabinet with a message scrawled on it. The handwriting was  _ definitely _ not her. The letters were small and cramped in comparison to her letters that flowed easily.

 

_ Thanks for letting me into your life _

 

Regina smiled before ripping the note up into a few dozen tiny pieces. She didn’t want to leave any trace of evidence of their transgression. She finished up in the bathroom before braving the world outside of her room.

“Good morning, Mother,” Regina greeted Cora at the breakfast table.

“Feeling better, dear?” Cora asked, hardly looking up from her paperwork.

Regina hesitated before answering, “Yes, much better.”

“Excellent.”

Regina was saved from any further questioning as Zelena descended the stairs. Their cue to leave.

When Kathryn saw her that day in homeroom, she received a questioning look.

“It’s me,” Regina whispered, sitting down in her usual desk.

“Well hello there,” Kathryn greeted. “How was your day yesterday?”

“Not here,” Regina hissed.

Kathryn made a frustrated face, but obliged. She knew the risks.

At lunch, Kathryn repeated her question. “How was your day yesterday?”

“Insightful.”

“That’s all I’m gonna get?” Kathryn complained. “After I was Emma’s guide all day? I helped her get past your mother!”

A quick chill ran through Regina’s body. “Oh thank god.”

Kathryn crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, I’m  _ that _ good.”

“Is that why she asked how I was this morning?” Regina asked.

“I told her you weren’t feeling well. So unwell that speaking was a feat,” Kathryn told her.

“Fine,” Regina relented. “Yesterday was a whirlwind of emotions and adventures.”

“Adventures?”

“Turns out Emma has a boyfriend!” Regina told her, complete with mock jazz hands.

“Are you serious?” Kathryn asked, leaning forward.

Regina nodded. “He and I skipped school and I… I ended up having to tell him who I was.”

_ “Regina!” _

“Kathryn, they’re too close. They’ve known each other since they were young. They’re constantly bounced around a revolving-door foster system, and they only have each other.” Regina cringed. The fact that the world had been cruel to these two innocent people still didn’t sit well with her.

“Oh.”

“Yeah,” Regina said. “And it gets worse.”

“What do you mean?”

“Meeting Emma through our shared dream and making physical contact with her may have heightened my magic already.”

“I can’t sense it,” Kathryn told her.

“Yeah, I’m suppressing it. I feel like I’m about to throw up,” Regina admitted.

“Well then stop!”

_ “I can’t,” _ Regina hissed. “Every teacher at this school would be alerted immediately.”

“Fuck. You’re right.”

“And that’s not the worst part,” Regina continued.

“Geez, what could be worse for you?” Kathryn asked.

“Neal-- that’s his name-- Neal’s biological father is… well he’s a Dream Hunter.”

“Okay, if this guy is actually in the system, how does he know that?” Kathryn asked, hugely skeptical.

“He’s in the system because his father abandoned him to climb the ladder of power,” Regina replied, disgusted.

“That I can believe. Power has a strange hold over people,” Kathryn replied. “So what are you gonna do?”

“ _ We _ , are going to keep this all a secret,” Regina said. “Only the four of us know and that’s how it’s going to stay.”

“What about finding Emma?” Kathryn asked.

“I’m going to talk to her about it tonight,” Regina said.

“Talk to her? Like, over the phone?”

“No,” Regina smiled and rolled her eyes, “through our dreams.”

“So, Emma will be back tomorrow?” Kathryn said in frustration.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Regina told her. “I think I’ve perfected a tactic.”

“You’ve swapped twice. You really think you’re an expert?” Kathryn asked dubiously, crossing her arms over her chest again.   
“The swap seems to happen when we touch in the dream,” Regina explained. “I think, unless we touch, we should remain in our own bodies.”

Kathryn rolled her eyes. “I’ll be ready for Emma tomorrow.”

“I see you have zero faith in me.”

“I just think you don’t know what you’re doing,” Kathryn said.

“Won’t know unless I try.”

“Just…” Kathryn hesitated before taking Regina’s hand, “... just be careful.”

“I promise.”

***

When Emma woke up the next day, she immediately knew she was back in her own body, because April was snoring so loud Emma couldn’t even concentrate on what happened yesterday.

She heaved herself out of bed and decided she might as well get ready for the day. Luckily her foster mother Ginger wasn’t up yet and she was able to slip out of the house undisturbed.

She walked around for a while, processing the events of yesterday. She’d been in her soulmate’s body. She’d talked to her best friend. She’d spent a day at her school. And yet, she truly knew nothing about Regina.

When Emma got to school, Neal was waiting for her by the entrance, arms folded over his chest.

“We can’t skip again, because we did yesterday,” he started, “but we seriously gotta talk.”

“Yeah, we sure do,” Emma agreed.

Neal stared at her a moment longer-- a frown on his face-- before pushing away from the wall and turning his back on her.

Emma closed her eyes and sighed, adjusting her beanie lower.

She tried to corner him all day-- even texting him over a dozen times-- but Neal avoided her until school let out.

When she managed to get him alone in the back parking lot she couldn’t contain her anger.

“You say we need to talk and then you do a 180 every time you see me in the hall? What the hell?” Emma growled.

“We need more time than just a passing period, Emma,” Neal shot back.

“Yeah, but… fuck! I miss you already and you’re right here,” Emma gestured. Hot, angry tears building behind her eyes.

“Well maybe I shouldn’t be,” Neal argued. “It’s not like we’re soulmates.”

“Are you serious? Did you lie to Regina when you said we’d always be friends?” Emma asked.

“No! I meant it- I mean it! But that doesn’t mean I’m not crushed, Ems!” Neal yelled.

Emma stopped focusing on her anger and focused on Neal’s face. The guy was a wreck.

Emma stepped forward and put a hand on his cheek. “Neal…”

Neal turned his head away, breaking the contact. “I know you mean well, Ems. But I can’t do this. We need to focus on keeping this a secret. Especially since my deadbeat father is a Hunter.”

“As long as we don’t tell him, he’ll never know,” Emma said. “You hardly see him anyway.”

“This will be the one and only conversation we have about this particular topic,” Neal replied. “We never talk about you and Regina again. Not until you find her.”

“Okay, Neal, I’m sorry we’re not soul-”

“This isn’t about me!” Neal yelled through gritted teeth. “This is about the safety of you and Regina. I may be  _ unbelievably _ pissed that you have a soulmate out there and I probably don’t, but this isn’t about me. The less we talk about it, the less of a chance there is of him finding out.”

“There’s someone out there for you,” Emma insisted.

Neal looked away in doubt. “It doesn’t matter right now,” he continued. “The new pact we’ve got is understanding she’s out there for you, but we can’t talk about it. When anyone asks about your dreams or whatever, what’s you standard answer?”

“That the dreams have started, but I’m still trying to leave messages and figure out who it is,” Emma responded.

“Very good.”

Emma nodded, looking down at the ground.

“Well then, that’s it,” Neal said, shrugging.

He started to turn and walk away, when Emma grabbed his arm.

She pulled him back toward her and pressed their lips together. When the kiss ended, a few tears slipped down Emma’s cheek. “I’ll always love you.”

With that, Emma left Neal alone in the parking lot, not looking back.

***

That night-- even though they hadn’t discussed it-- it felt like Emma was waiting for Regina.

Regina closed her eyes and conjured up a second hammock.

“Not in the mood for sharing?” Emma quipped, getting more comfortable by laying on her back.

“I’m trying to keep us from swapping bodies tonight,” Regina told her. “And while we’re soulmates, you were right last night; we hardly know each other.”

“Touché,” Emma responded. “What’s up? I can… well it’s weird, but I can sense you used the technique to get here tonight.”

“You didn’t?” Regina asked.

Emma shook her head. “I have this dream every night.”

“Wish I could say that,” Regina replied.

“I thought you said we were single dream sharers?” Emma asked.

“We are,” Regina said, “I just don’t have dreams every night.”

“What’s that like?”

“I go to bed and then I wake up. It feels like seconds have passed,” Regina told her.

“Weird.”

“Yeah,” Regina replied. “But that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to talk to you. About Neal and about our situation.”

Emma tucked a strand of her hair behind her right ear and studied her feet. “Neal is upset, but he understands.” She can’t face telling Regina the rest of the truth.

“I really am sorry,” Regina said. “He’s a really nice guy.”

“He’s the best,” Emma agreed, her face lighting up. “He was… he was my first everything…”

Regina tried to keep herself from grimacing. She knew people had sex with multiple people, she’d just hoped that her soulmate wouldn’t be one of them.

“Sorry, that was probably too much information,” Emma apologized.

“It’s okay,” Regina said. “Neal told me that you two stopped believing in soulmates a long time ago.”

“We’ve been around the block one too many times,” Emma told her.

“But we also need to talk about Neal’s father,” Regina said gently.

“Is this about him being a Hunter?” Emma asked.

Regina nodded.

“Neal doesn’t see him outside of mandated court visits,” Emma told her, “and he won’t have those anymore after he turns 18. I doubt he’ll ever contact his father again.”

“How does that situation even work?”

Emma shrugged. “I have no clue. He just… claims to love Neal and never sees him. He says he has to climb the ladder of success so he and Neal can have a better life. But what’s the point if he misses all of it? How is he helping Neal by letter him get thrown into a system that doesn’t give a damn who your parents are?”

“His father has a very twisted way of looking at that situation,” Regina said.

“I think he went a little off the deep end when Neal’s mom left him,” Emma told her.

“What happened?”

“He once told Neal that when he and Neal’s mom got together, they’d both given up finding their soulmates,” Emma started. “But then a few years after Neal was born, his mom found her soulmate, leaving Neal and her failed marriage behind her.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“It really fucked them both up,” Emma said. 

“Who  _ is _ his father?” Regina asked.

“Elias Gold,” Emma told her. “Some-”

“I know who he is,” Regina cut her off, blood running cold. “He works with my mother.”

Emma’s eyes widen and she abruptly sat up. “Jesus! Your mother is scary on her own! And now you’re telling me she knows  _ Neal’s father _ ?”

“It appears so.”

“What does she even do?” Emma pressed.

“I…” and then Regina realized she couldn’t answer that. “I don’t know.”

Emma flopped back down into the hammock. “You need to find out. Neal has another court ordered visit in like a week so we’ll do some digging there.”

“Okay,” Regina said, laying back in her own hammock.

A long bout of silence passed between them.

“Do you think we’ll ever truly be safe?” Regina asked.

Emma smirked. “Once we find each other, how will anyone know unless we tell them?”

***

After that night, Regina made it her mission to discreetly investigate her mother’s profession and how she and Elias Gold were connected. She had just under a week before she’d be in the belly of the beast, so to speak. Elias Gold’s party was at the end of the week and she wanted to be prepared.

At dinner, she tried to strike up a casual conversation about her job.

“Mother,” she started, “since it might be awhile before Zelena and I find our soulmates, I was wondering if we could discuss careers? I’ve always been fascinated to learn what you and Father do.”

“The adult workforce is no place for unmarried women,” Cora scoffed. “But, if you’d like to know more for after you are married, I don’t see the harm in discussing it.”

“Zelena has a job,” Regina pointed out.

“Around children,” Cora snapped, “that is not an adult job.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Henry?” Cora turned to her husband.

“Oh, I don’t think the girls want to hear about my job,” he deflected.

“Sure we do,” Zelena said. “Apparently it’s an adult job.”

“Well, I work in office where we handle other people’s money,” Henry told them.

“Accounting?” Zelena asked.

“Very similar,” Henry told her. “But I actually work in investments. There’s not much more to it.”

“What about you, Mother?” Regina asked.

“I work in the congress building,” she told them. “I don’t have much clearance there. I mostly type up and deliver inter-office memos.”

Regina didn’t know how she knew, but she could see in her mother’s face that Cora was lying.

_ She has more clearance than she’s letting on. _

“Maybe you could take Zelena and I on a tour?” Regina pressed.

“Oh no, they’d never allow it,” Cora said. “But I do think it would be beneficial for you girls to take a look at what’s out there so you are not unprepared once you’re married.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Henry chimed in.

Regina smiled, but her insides twisted. She didn’t truly know what her mother’s position was in the congress building, but she now believed that-- if she was connected to Elias Gold-- it was detrimental to her situation.


	4. Preparations

Emma sat alone at her self-designated table-- aka, the stone wall outside of the cafeteria. She picked at her food, not being that hungry since she and Neal’s fight a few days ago.

“This seat taken?” Neal asked.

Emma looked up. “I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“Turns out I don’t have any other friends,” Neal replied, grinning.

Emma gestured for him to sit down and he did so. She continued to pick at her food.

“I also realized that-- even though we’re not soulmates-- no one knows me better than you. And… I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

“When did you become such a sap?” Emma teased.

“When I figured out I might actually lose you for real,” Neal told her seriously.

“You can’t,” Emma replied. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Well thank god,” Neal said, “because my deadbeat father is setting me up at his fucking party at the end of the week.”

“Oh,  _ that’ll _ go over well,” Emma said sarcastically. “How long will you be gone this time?”

Neal shrugged. “At least the weekend.”

“Tell him we’re still together. He fucking hates me and it’ll be worth it to see him squirm,” Emma said.

“I’ll tell him we’re true love and everything,” Neal continued.

Emma laughed. “He’ll flip!”

“You think when I say ‘true love’ he’ll think we’ve started dream sharing?” Neal asked.

“I  _ hope _ he does,” Emma said.

Neal’s smile slowly disappeared.

“I… Neal…”

“It’s not about Regina, or us,” Neal told her. “What if… what if I never start dream sharing?”

“How do you know you haven’t started?” Emma asked.

“What do you mean?”

It was Emma’s turn to shrug. “The way other people describe it, the dream sharing starts off super subtle.”

Neal contemplated that information for a moment. “Maybe.”

Emma bumped his shoulder with hers. “While you wait, go nuts with driving old Elias insane, yeah?”

Neal grinned. “Yeah.”

***

On the night of the party, Cora knocked on Regina’s door frame. “Regina? I have your dress, Dear.”

Regina looked up to see an elegant, dark blue evening dress. It was backless, form-fitting, with long sleeves, a jeweled neckline and waistline.

This seems very… adult, Mother,” Regina said.

“You may meet your soulmate tonight,” Cora replied, feigning a casual tone.

“I haven’t even made sense of my dreams yet,” Regina pressed gently.

“You never know,” Cora pressed more firmly.

Regina merely nodded, accepting the dress.

Cora beamed and left her to get dressed.

Zelena slinked in soon after Cora left.

“She’s trying to set you up.”

“How does that even work?” Regina asked. “Shouldn’t I be with my soulmate?”

“You think Mother and Father are soulmates?” Zelena scoffed.

It’s true Regina had been thinking about it a lot more, recently. But she always hoped…

“Regina, please. It’s fairly obvious they aren’t,” Zelena continued.

“I try not to think about it,” Regina answered honestly.

“No one wants to think that their parents aren’t soulmates,” Zelena said, “but some parents make it more obvious than others.”

“Is it  _ really _ that common not to find your soulmate?” Regina asked sitting on her bed, suddenly sounding so young.

Zelena sat next to her. “That’s something they don’t tell you in school. It’s not always possible to find them. Eventually people settle.”

“Are you… considering settling?” Regina asked.

“To get Mother off my back? A little,” Zelena admitted.

Regina sighed. She knew Mother was wearing on Zelena, but she wished her sister didn’t want to give up that easy.

“You still have three years! According to Ms. French-”   
“I know the statistics, baby sister,” Zelena cut her off. “I just don’t have three more years in me.”

Zelena stood. “I need to finish getting ready.”

Regina watched her go before turning back to the dress clutched in her hands.

***

Elias Gold had everything in place-- his head butler, taking care of all of the minor details Elias didn’t bother with. His guests would be arriving in two hours and he’d have a hoard of influential people in his giant home. This is what he’d been preparing for his entire life-- making it to the top.

He knew he still had a bit of a ways to go before he was at the very top, but tonight would solidify his path toward greatness.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and scanned the message. Another update from his department.

They’d been tracking the magic signatures of a single dream sharing pair for a few days now. Most of the readings were normal-- it’s not unusual in their department to come across them, of course-- but at certain times, the magic would spike to astronomical levels.

“Sir, your son is in the parlor,” Sidney Glass, his personal assistant, announced.

“Excellent. Thank you, Sidney,” Elias said, dismissing the other man.

Sidney merely nodded.

Elias-- with Sidney following closely behind-- made his way to the parlor where his son--shabby as ever-- stood, hands in his pockets, eyes to the ground.

“Neal,” Elias greeted, arms outstretched.

Neal gave him a quick head nod.

“Why don’t you go to your room and find something more suitable to wear. You’ll want to impress this girl,” Elias said.

“Emma and I are true love,” Neal spat. “I can’t believe you’re trying to break us up.”

Elias cringed and his whole body tensed. His son was merely infatuated with someone not worth his actual stature. “Neal, we’ve talked about this. You’re above her.”

Neal took his hands out of his pockets and gestured around. “This? Is this what you think I am?”

“Of course it is,” Elias replied.

“No, Elias. This is you,” Neal pointed a finger at him. “This? It isn’t me. It hasn’t been since you threw me away like garbage.”

“You’re a Gold,” Elias argued.

“It’s Cassidy. My name is Neal Cassidy.”

Elias stiffened even more at the name. Milah’s last name.

“Legally, it is not,” Elias continued.

Neal shrugged. “‘Legal’ hasn’t been your problem in a long time. You’re not legally my father, so I don’t have to keep your stupid name.”

With that, Neal turned and went to the room Elias had decided as “his”.

“Make sure he’s ready in time for the party,” Elias hissed to Sidney.

Sidney gave a sharp nod, following after Neal.

***

When all four of the Mills arrived, they were immediately received with a bit of fanfare; each of them whisked away in a separate direction. The only Mills who didn’t seem concerned was Cora.

“Enjoy yourself, girls,” Cora told them.

Regina was taken to a more remote location of the party.

“Madame,” a waiter offered her a chair on the patio. Twinkle lights strung up next to the small two-person table.

Regina sighed internally. Here it comes. Her Mother had arranged for her to meet with some important son of someone at the party. Regina wondered how she managed to rope Elias Gold into agreeing when-

“Good evening Miss Mills,” Elias Gold greeted.

She moved to stand when he put up a hand.

“Please, stay seated. No need to stand,” he told her. “I’ve brought someone… more your age than anyone in that party.”

He was trying to make this set up sound appealing…

“Meet my son, Neal Gold,” Elias announced.

Regina’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head at the sight of Neal, her magic flaring up, unable to suppress it due to her surprise.

Elias turned to his son. “Neal, this is Regina Mills.”

Regina could tell Neal was working really hard not to give anything away.

Neal gave a slight bow. “So nice to… meet you, Miss Mills.”

“Regina. Please,” she replied, following her mother’s lead in manners.

Neal nodded and sat down across from her.

Regina stole a glance at Elias, who was practically vibrating with what he thought was a perfect match.

This was going to be a long night.


	5. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal and Regina form a plan, while Henry reveals something that Regina never expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! Whatever you celebrate, I hope it is/was a great one!

“What are you doing here?” Regina whispered when they were alone, pushing her magic back down.

“This is my court mandated visit,” Neal replied.

“If Elias Gold is a Hunter, he knows about dream sharing more than most,” Regina started. “So why is he trying to set you up before you have time to find your soulmate?”

Neal shrugged. “Power, Regina. Plain and simple.” He looked her up and down. “And it’s finally nice to meet you in your actual body. Emma’s description didn’t do you justice.”

“Neal!”

“What? I have eyes!” he defended. “I’m not into you, don’t worry.”

Neal’s phone went off.

Neal pulled his phone out and chuckled. “Speak of the devil.”

“It’s Emma?” Regina asked.

Neal nodded. “Usually during my visits, Elias books himself up with meetings. She’s used to me being bored out of my mind.”

Neal held his phone, selfie-style, capturing a picture of both him and Regina.

A series of texts proceeded to come through after he sent it.

“She is  _ not _ happy I get to see you in that dress in person and she doesn’t,” Neal told her.

Regina bit her lip to stifle a grin. “Tell her ‘one day’,” Regina replied.

Neal raised an eyebrow. “Damn, girl. You got game.”

There was an awkward silence as they both tried to make eye contact, but found themselves unable to.

“This is hard for you, isn’t it?”

Neal put his phone down on the table and picked up a fork, twirling it between his right thumb and index finger.

“I really am sorry. I-”

“Regina, you don’t have to apologize,” Neal cut her off. “You didn’t do it on purpose. It just…  _ aligned _ like that,” he said, making a grand gesture out at the sky.

“Nevertheless, my being Emma’s soulmate broke you two up,” Regina said. “I know you promised to stay her friend, but… I can’t help but wonder if that will be easier said than done.”

“She told you, didn’t she?” Neal asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Told me what?”

“How I sort of iced her out for a while after I met you.”

“Neal, she never told me you were anything but supportive,” Regina assured him, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm.

“Well that’s nicer than I deserved,” he admitted, putting the fork down. “I was a huge jerk at first. I was rightfully hurt, but I shouldn’t have taken it out on her. It’s not her fault either.”

Regina squeezed his arm.

“The fact that you’re willing to realize that speaks volumes.”

Just then, Elias Gold waltzed back out onto the patio.

Neal quickly stashed his phone and Regina let out a small, melodic laugh, keeping her hand on his arm.

“Oh! Hello, Mr. Gold,” Regina said, feigning ignorance. “Your son is quite the charmer.”

Elias looked mildly surprised, but quickly squared his features. “I’m pleased you two are getting along so well.”

“Neal tells me he lives in Boston,” Regina said. “I’d love for him to take me on a tour of the city some time.”

Neal shot her a look, floored by her genius.

“I think that can be arranged,” Elias agreed. “Of course, we must run it by your mother.”

“Oh, I think Mother would be more than happy to lend me to Neal for a few days or so,” Regina replied. “With such a responsible father, his son clearly takes after him.”

“Nevertheless, your mother and I shall discuss it some time tonight,” Elias said.

“Of course,” Regina replied.

“I just came to see if you two were getting along,” he said. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

As he left, Neal nearly lost his shit.

“That was fucking  _ amazing!” _ Neal exclaimed, getting up from the table. “I’ve never seen anyone be able to play him like that.”

Composing himself, he sat back down.

Regina shrugged. “I’m merely taking after my mother. That’s how she gets her way all the time.”

“Speaking of your mother,” Neal leaned closer. “Did you ever find out how she and Elias are connected?”

Regina frowned and shook her head. “She was very evasive.”

Neal sat back. “He may not love me like he should, but he trusts me with information to a fault.”

Regina arched an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Mhm.”

“Then maybe you might be able to get something out of him,” Regina said.

“I’ll do my best,” Neal promised.

“I hope you don’t mind that I basically arranged a meeting with Emma,” Regina said with a tinge of regret.

“Not at all,” Neal assured her. “The sooner the better, right?”

“Are you sure?”

Neal nodded. “I’d rather be there anyway.”

“Then it looks like we may get somewhere after all,” Regina said, raising her glass.

They clinked their glasses causing Regina to giggle.

“Look at us, becoming allies so quickly.”

“Figured I should get on Emma’s soulmate’s good side after I was such a jerk to her,” Neal said.

“I’m glad to be on my soulmate’s best friend’s good side,” Regina replied, taking a sip.

Neal smiled. Yeah, Emma had snagged herself a good one.

***

“What did you think of the young Mr. Gold?” Cora asked Regina once they were home.

“He’s a very nice boy,” Regina replied.

“Elias told me that you’d like to tour Boston with his son. Is this true?”

“As long as you consent, Mother,” Regina said.

“I already told Elias it would be fine as long as you two had a chaperone,” Cora told her.

“Of course,” Regina agreed. “Who would be with us?”

“I volunteered,” Henry chimed in.

Regina’s smile faltered. She loved her father more than she could express, but that would make him harder to ditch so she and Emma could meet.

“How wonderful,” Regina plastered her smile on even wider. “Is it alright if I go to my room?”

“Yes, you may,” Cora responded.

As Regina got ready for bed, Henry knocked on her door.

“Come in. Oh, hello, Daddy,” Regina said, realizing it was her father.

“Regina,” he sat on her bed and patted the space next to him.

“What’s wrong?” she could sense something off.

“Do you know how your mother and I met?” he asked.

Regina thought back and was surprised to realize that she didn’t. She shook her head.

He tapped her shoulder.

She complied and her started in on a braid.

“We were in our 20s. Both of us… both of us had just come out of a… counseling program,” he started.

Regina was so startled she almost turned back to face him, but his hands were firm.

“Both of us had been experiencing a phenomenon that people in the magic community are fiercely afraid of and against.”

Regina’s breath caught in her throat. What was he talking about? Could it be…?

“When my parents voiced concerns to friends they thought could be trusted, I was taken from my home in the middle of the night and transferred to a facility,” he said. “I don’t know where, because they forced me to wear a blindfold and earplugs. When I got there, a few other men-- maybe 4 or 5-- were there too. We were… well, let’s just say the next month was no picnic, mija.”

Regina tensed. They had been tortured. Tested on. Prodded. She knew this, because this was sounding more and more like the article she and Kathryn had read together in the library-- only much more recent.

“When we were released, they released all of us-- men and women-- at the same time. There was no more fear of putting us together. We’d been neurologically separated from our soulmates. When your mother and I saw each other, we had no idea if the other had been the one in our dreams. But, we were comfortable with each other. We’d both been through something no one else had.”

“Daddy…” Regina hesitated before lowering her voice. “Were you a single dream sharer?”

When he didn’t speak she turned around. There were tears in his eyes, but he was nodding.

She threw her arms around her father and squeezed as hard as she could.

“Your secret is safe with me, mija,” he whispered in her ear.

When she pulled away, she gave him a confused look. “How-?”

“You’ve had one dream your whole life,” he said quietly, “it wasn’t hard to realize what that meant for you.”

She stayed quiet as he cocked his head at her.

“I also sense you’re suppressing some of your magic,” he admitted.

“More than some,” Regina told him.

“Have you met him?”

“Only in dreams,” she said.

Henry nodded solemnly.

“She’s beautiful,” Regina whispered.

“I bet she is,” Henry replied, hardly phased at what she just revealed to him.

“Is that why you offered to chaperone?” Regina asked.

He looked at her, puzzled. “I offered to chaperone, because I can’t trust any boy with my little girl.”

“Oh.”

“Why would your soulmate be why I offered to chaperone?” he asked.

“She’s Neal’s best friend,” Regina told him.

“Ah, that’s why you wish to tour Boston,” Henry realized.

Regina looked down at her lap and blushed.

“All the better that I come with you,” Henry said.

“I want to meet her in person so bad,” Regina admitted.

“I must warn you to go slow,” Henry told her. “While my parents friends turned me in, I knew eventually I would’ve been found. Single dream sharing soulmates have a large amount of magic between them. You’ve only met in your dreams and you’re already gaining magic.”

“I promise, Daddy. You’ll be there to help?”

“Of course, mija.”


	6. Elias Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of backstory on Elias Gold.

The party had barely ended when Elias’s phone rang for the dozenth time that night.

“Alright, Elias growled. “What is it?”

“We have some news,” Sidney told him. “And you’re not going to like it.”

“Well out with it,” Elias said.

“We believe your son and a girl by the name of Emma Swan are the singe dream sharers,” Sidney told him slowly.

“What!” Elias exclaimed. “Where’s your proof?”

“The magic signatures,” Sidney started. “We’ve only been picking up one since this all began which we pinpointed to the girl. We figured the second person must be aware of the dangers and started suppressing. It wasn’t until last night that we picked up on the second signature.”

“And?”

“It was located at your party. And the only two people young enough for this investigation to apply to are you son and Mrs. Mills’s daughter. We’ve never picked anything suspicious up from the young Mills before and she’s wholly unaware of what her mother does and her family background. Why would she suppress if it was her?”

_ Damn. The man has a point, _ Elias thought.

“Sir?” Sidney called. “What should we do?”

“Nothing for now,” Elias told him. “We monitor the situation for a few days before striking.”

“I know this is-”

“I’m not treating the situation favorable because it’s my son!” Elias shouted into the receiver. “This is standard protocol. We cannot spook them.”

“Shouldn’t you be administering the Separator?” Sidney asked.

Elias closed his eyes and sighed internally.  _ That _ was standard protocol.

“You’re correct,” Elias said finally. “Bring me one to my office with the morning update tomorrow.”

“Just one?”

“If administered to one mate, the other is affected as soon as physical contact is made,” Elias told him. “I should not need two.”

“And the degeneration period?” Sidney asked.

“It takes the pill a week to pass through an entire body. I’ll be administering it a day before they see each other again. It will work,” Elias assured him.

“Yes sir.”

Elias punched angrily at the “end call” button. God he missed flip phones. They made made hanging up much more satisfying.

He sunk down into an armchair, leaning fully into it to contemplate what had just happened. When Neal had said “true love,” Elias hadn’t realized that Neal meant  _ soulmates _ .

Elias’s whole life-- all of his choices-- came crashing down around him all at once. He threw himself into his work, not to climb to the top like everyone assumed, but to escape the truth-- he, too, was a single dream sharer.

At sixteen, Elias Gold was given the same spiel every teen is given about soulmates. Except, Elias Gold did not dream. This wasn’t covered in one measly class session, giving way to lack of self esteem and a touch a rebellion.

He met a young woman, Milah Cassidy, when he was eighteen years old. Looking back, they were never in love, but they did a damn good job convincing themselves that they were.

They decided to start a family without being soulmates as a rebellious act. This seemed to work out until around Milah’s twenty-first birthday she started dream sharing with a teen boy.

_ “We didn’t dream share with anyone because they weren’t old enough!” Milah exclaimed. _

_ “But we have each other! We have Neal! Isn’t that enough?” Elias pleaded. _

_ Milah turned away. _

_ “And your soulmate,” Elias continued, “he’s a  _ child. _ ” _

_ “For now!” Milah countered. “We’re meant to be… I can’t deny either of us that.” _

_ “Either of who? Me and you? Or you and him?” _

_ “I’m sorry Elias. We’re not meant to be with each other.” _

She’d packed up and walked out on Elias and their 3-year-old son.

For the next five years, Elias raised Neal as a single father. He got a job with the government hunting single dream sharers because, not only did it pay well, but he was good at it.

At twenty-six, everything changed. He began dream sharing…  _ single dream sharing _ . The first week or so he wasn’t too worried, but it  _ continued _ . Every night he encountered a young teen with dark auburn hair. Unsure how to proceed, he confided in his supervisor, Julius.

_ “I don’t know what to do!” Elias exclaimed, pacing the office. “I’m disgusted that I’m sharing a dream with a girl so young  _ and _ that it’s a single dream connection!” _

_ “No one else knows?” Julius asked. _

_ Elias shook his head. _

_ “Good.” _

_ Julius-- an older man with a grey beard and lifetime of secrets-- bent down and pulled an old book out of his desk. “There is a spell-- a complex, but powerful one-- that will cut you off from your soulmate.” _

_ “How does it work?” Elias asked. _

_ “It’s a physical mark on you,” Julius explained. “It can be removed by another complex removal spell-- so it will not unbind you two fully-- but someone powerful would have to do it. However, I don’t expect you want it removed.” _

_ “No,” Elias agreed. _

_ Julius nodded, turning to the page he was searching for. _

_ “Will she… will she find someone else?” Elias asked timidly. _

_ “That is up to her,” he told Elias. _

_ Elias nodded. His insides were screaming at him not to allow this to happen, but he’d built his whole career against single dream sharers-- he couldn’t continue to be one. _

_ “As long as you keep the mark, this little secret will stay between you and me,” Julius told him. _

_ “Yes sir,” Elias answered, sitting in the chair and preparing for the spell. _

_ “Good man.” _

A few months after receiving the mark, Elias dropped his son into foster care. He couldn’t stand who he was and did not want his son to know the truth about him. He feared that if Neal were to continue living with him, Neal would figure it out. Elias was ashamed about his single dream sharing status and the fact that he couldn’t look his son in the eye anymore because of it.

Now, eight years later, he was facing the task of separating his own son from his soulmate. Technology had advanced rather rapidly under his watchful eye. He understood the ins and outs of single dream sharing better than anyone else and he’d plunged the department into the technological age with the Separator.

Elias sighed. He didn’t have a _ choice _ . This was his job and-- as his son constantly reminded him-- his job always came first. Now Elias wondered if this was a mistake. Should he have focused more on his family? He’d made it past Milah’s betrayal, but he hadn’t been able to face his own.

Elias sighed and ran his hands down his face. It didn’t matter anymore. He’d made his choice. And even if he spontaneously decided tomorrow that he was going to search for his soulmate and bring his son back into his life, there’s no way either of them would forgive him for the lives he’d ruined.

Deciding he’d had enough wallowing for one night, Elias heaved himself out of the armchair and up the stairs to face another dreamless night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a twist, eh? Let me know what you think!


	7. Like Old Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elias is distraught over the decision he has to make and he tries to soften the blow with a trip to Neal's favorite childhood place.

When Neal awoke the next morning, he father was immediately fussing at him to get up and get dressed. It turned out, he just wanted to get to work… typical.

“I have to take a quick meeting with Sidney, would you wait out here?” Elias gentured to a wooden bench outside of his office.

Neal sighed and rolled his eyes before plopping down on the bench. “Yeah, Elias, I’d be  _ happy _ to do that.”

The meeting couldn’t have lasted more than a few minutes and when his father re-appeared he was holding a glass of water.

“Drink,” Elias commanded. “I haven’t seen you drink nearly enough water.”

Neal pursed his lips and resisted the urge to roll his eyes again. The man picked really weird things to get parental about.

It’s not like Neal didn’t remember the good times. But he was young and his childhood memories had been scarred over by more recent and terrible memories.

Deciding it wasn’t worth the fight, Neal took the water and downed it in practically one go.

He handed his father the empty glass back. “Satisfied?”

Neal thought he saw the older man pale a bit before nodding, but Neal shook it off. Elias Gold didn’t have enough emotions in his body.

“When am I going back to Boston?” Neal asked.

“This evening,” Elias answered. “How about we spend the day together though, huh?”

Neal raised his eyebrows in surprise, but agreed. He wanted to know what the man had in mind. It would probably be something boring and Elias would make some excuse halfway through about work, but Neal was used to that. He’d see Emma faster if that happened anyway.

***

It turned out that-- even though the activity Elias had in mind was a little childish-- it wasn’t as boring as he’d thought.

Elias brought Neal to the aquarium. Something they’d done quite regularly when he was young. Neal had never questioned it then, but today he was a whole other person.

The pair sat down in front of the shark tank. Something they’d done many times before. Neal watched as a small hammerhead shark swam by the glass, unbothered by its audience.

“Not that I’m not grateful,” he started, “but why are we here?”

“Don’t you remember coming here?” Elias asked.

“Yeah, but… why were we here so often?”

Elias got a faraway look in his eyes. Something Neal hadn’t seen in years. He hadn’t seen any emotion cross the older man’s face since he’d been given up. Not like this.

“After your mother left I was distraught. I felt broken… like a failure. You were three and a half and there wasn’t any way for me to explain why she’d left. Only ways I could distract you from that empty feeling the loss of your mother brought you. So I started to bring you here. You were never unhappy at the aquarium. There were always new or undiscovered areas here that kept you and your mind occupied.”

Neal stayed silent as he processed this information.

“That’s why when I asked about her at the aquarium, we left,” Neal said. “You didn’t want to taint my experience here with the truth.”

“Precisely.”

“So why are we here now?”

Elias paused before looking at Neal with a sad smile.

“Because as much as you don’t believe it, I love and miss you. Especially your smile.”

Neal blinked up at him, keeping his face deliberately schooled. He didn’t want to give Elias what he wanted right away. He had more questions he needed answers to.

“Do you ever hear from her?”

Elias recoiled as if he’d been slapped.

Neal knew that Elias had hoped the conversation surrounding Milah would end, but Neal had a right to know everything.

“No, Neal. I do not,” Elias told him curtly. “She chose that Jones boy over us years ago and never looked back.”

“And yet you did the same to me, too.”

Neal knew that would hurt Elias, but he had to know the truth of his actions. He’d railed against Milah every time Neal brought her up, before following in her footsteps. Neal had never understood why. Maybe it had been grief, but Milah had left them five years prior. They’d never struggled to make ends meet. The only thing Neal could clearly see separating them was Elias’s godforsaken job.

“I have a lot of regrets, but I did that for your protection,” Elias insisted.

“My protection? Or your ease?” Neal asked, standing. “I think I should get back to Boston.”

Elias smiled sadly. “Yes, I believe you should. But first I will buy you lunch.”

***

Emma was restless. All Neal could tell her was he’d be back that evening, but what was a weekend without Neal? She didn’t have any other friends, nor did she trust anyone like she trusted him.

When he finally arrived, she was there in an instant.

“Dude, we live five blocks away. What did you do? Sprint?” Neal joked.

“Hardy-har,” Emma mocked. “But yes. I may have sprinted.”

“Damn, you’re that bored?”

“I just have so many questions,” Emma admitted.

“About Regina?” Neal asked.

“Yes, but also about your visit!”

“Regina’s a great person She and I get along,” Neal told her genuinely. “Who knows? Maybe Elias is right and Regina and I should be together.”

“Neaaaaaaal,” Emma shoved him, causing him to laugh.

“I’m kidding, Ems. I’d never steal your girl.”

“And Elias?” Emma pressed, sitting on the curb outside of Neal’s foster house.

“It was a strange visit,” Neal admitted, also sitting. “He kept trying to push me onto Regina-- she’s coming to visit by the way-- and-”

“She’s what!” Emma shouted.

“She’s coming to visit,” Neal repeated. “Elias and Cora are working out the details.”

“That’s amazing! How did you even manage to make that happen?” Emma asked.

“Regina did it, actually,” Neal told her. “She’s quite the charmer when it comes to getting her way.”

“I’m impressed,” Emma said. “Not many people can manipulate Elias Gold like that. And her mother? Also a piece of work. Anyway. Continue.”

“Then today we briefly stopped by his office, but then we just… spent the day together.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean just that. He took me to the aquarium. It’s something we used to do a lot when I still lived with him. And then he took me out to eat,” Neal told her.

“Odd…”

“It was, but it was also kinda nice, ya know? Even after we fought a bit at the aquarium, he was still willing to talk and listen at lunch,” Neal shuffled his foot in the dirt.

“No! No, totally. It’s just…” Emma trailed off.

“It’s just what?”

“Do you think he wants something?”

Neal shook his head. “Elias Gold would either ask directly or just take it.”

“Then do you think he just took something?”

“Like what?” Neal asked.

“I don’t know. It just sounds suspicious.”

“I’m not denying that, but I can’t stop thinking about how nice it felt. To just… be his son again.”

Emma smiled sadly down at her lap. She knew what he meant. It’s something she always wanted to have. But she also knew that this happened once before when they were about thirteen. Neal became so wrapped up in Elias he forgot who he was and once Elias was done with him, it was a rude awakening.

“I’m trying not to get sucked in, Ems,” Neal said quietly, seeing her face. “I remember.”

“As long as you’re looking out for yourself,” Emma replied.

“I promise I am,” Neal told her.

“Good,” she bumped his shoulder with hers.

“So your woman,” Neal started.

“When is she coming?”

“I’m supposed to be hearing back from Elias in the next few days about it,” Neal told her.

Emma nodded slowly. “I can’t believe this is all happening so fast.”

“Yeah, like two weeks ago we were dating and now you’re gonna be meeting your soulmate soon,” Neal said.

“Neal-”

“It’s fine, Emma,” Neal cut her off. He couldn’t take anymore of her pity today. “She’s a really nice person.”

Emma checked her phone. “Shit! I gotta go.” Emma scrambled to her feet.

Neal pulled out his phone and checked. “Shit, yeah. It’s almost nine. Ginger will murder you if you’re not back soon.”

“See you tomorrow?” Emma asked.

“Always,” Neal replied, pulling her into a tight hug.

***

From a distance, Sidney observed Neal and Emma’s interactions.

“They’ve touched several times, are you sure Emma’s magical signature hasn’t dissipated?” he asked.

“Negative,” Isaac replied. “Her coordinates are still emitting an enormous amount of magical energy.”

“Then we were wrong,” Sidney muttered.

“Only half wrong!” Isaac scrambled to correct. Elias Gold wasn’t known for being forgiving. “We just have to locate Ms. Swan’s other half.”

“Then do it! And do it quickly!” Sidney growled, ending the call.

If Isaac and his team didn’t figure out who Emma’s soulmate was it was  _ his _ head on Elias’s chopping block.

Sidney pulled away from corner as Emma started sprinting back to her house.

He was fuming. How could they make this mistake? What if Neal came in contact with his actual  _ normal  _ soulmate this week and became separated from her forever?

No, he couldn’t think about that. He had to put all of his energy into locating… 

_ Wait. _

The only other possibility was…

Elias was not going to like that they were wrong, but he wouldn’t be able to argue with the logic of elimination.

They would not miss their mark again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for this being so late! I started a new job last month and I'm still getting used to the new hours.
> 
> Congrats on the Hugo Award Nomination to everyone who writes on AO3! <3

When Sidney informed him that Neal and Emma were, in fact, not soulmates his first reaction was relief. He hadn’t severed his son’s connection with the one person who might be able to understand him and bring him happiness.

His second reaction was rage. Rage at the incompetence of his team. When he voiced this rage, Sidney stammered out apologies, but wasn’t it great that Regina Mills was the only other possibility?

Elias had told Sidney to keep quiet and give him a few hours to process.

Sidney hadn’t even tried to argue.

Elias knew many people were paired up with similarly aged soulmates. But-- as he so regretfully knew-- not always.

Elias made a list of all of his guests and wrote down their status. Most of them were married to their soulmates, while a few had given up on the idea completely and were young enough to be worth investigating.

He had a small list made up within an hour.

Graham Humbert was a good candidate. He was five years older than Emma. He could have started to receive his dream and realized quickly enough that it was a single dream to suppress his magic before tipping anyone off. But as Elias skimming through Graham’s memories inside of his subconscious, digging into his past, it turns out that his confirmed soulmate was killed in an accident two years ago.

It soon became clear that no one but Regina could possibly be a match to Emma Swan. He dreaded telling Cora-- knowing first hand it wasn’t easy information to process-- but it had to be done.

He summoned her to his office and she arrived as soon as she could, sensing the matter was urgent.

As they sat down, Elias offered Cora some tea, knowing this wouldn’t soften the harsh news one bit.

“Thank you for coming at such short notice,” Elias said.

“Of course, Elias. What do you need?” Cora asked, declining the tea.

“Unfortunately I have a bit of bad news.”

He leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers to seem confident and in control.

He’d slipped in and out of the subconscious of all suspects… except Regina Mills. He hadn’t been able to break through a barricade she had up around her dreams. Or, as he suspected, her single dream. He was doing the right thing. It  _ had _ to be her.

“What is it?” Cora asked, sitting across from him.

Elias, unable to sit still any longer, stood and started to pace his office.

“How well do you know your daughter?” he asked.

“Fairly well. As any mother does,” Cora told him.

“Does she ever speak to you about her dream sharing?”

“Not in so many words,” Cora admitted, “but they have started.”

Elias pursed his lips, staring at the wall and not at Cora. “I don’t believe she has more than one.”

Cora stiffened; her back rigid and eyes growing colder by the second. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“It’s due to no fault of yours, Cora. You aren’t here to be punished,” Elias reassured her, turing to face her. “These things happen.”

“I assume you know of… my past?” Cora asked cautiously.

Of course Elias knew. He had a thick file folder on each and every one of his employees and Cora Mills was no exception.

“Your parents knew what was best and now it’s time for you to do the same,” Elias told her, placing a hand on the back of her chair.

“I may detest what she is, but I don’t wish to put her through what I went through,” Cora told him.

Elias smiled. “Oh no, Cora. We’ve come so far since then. You would only need to give her this before her trip to Boston.” He pulled out a Separator from his suit jacket pocket. The black iridescent pill set an ominous tone.

“Why do you believe my daughter to be a single dream sharer?” Cora asked, eyeing the pill.

“Do you remember my team investigating my son?” Elias asked, pocketing the pill, knowing this was going to take a firm but gentle hand. “We believed he was Emma Swan’s soulmate and that he was suppressing his magic to throw us off the scent. But now we believe that it’s your daughter who is soulmates with Ms. Swan.”

“She has been looking rather pale lately,” Cora noted.

“Magic suppression takes a toll on a person,” Elias said.

“She hasn’t met this Emma Swan person, why would she have more magic without meeting her?” Cora asked.

“We believe that the girls have made contact through the dreamworld,” Elias told her.

“Why would she keep this from me?” Cora demanded. “They don’t teach students about single dream sharing. There would be no reason for her to lie to us.”

“I can’t say why for sure, but she may have become spooked when she obtained more magic than she’s used to,” Elias reasoned. “Young girls these days always wish to please their parents. She may have just been scared.”

Cora took this in. She wanted the arrangement between Regina and Neal to work out. Gaining Elias’s favor would boost her to the top quickly.

She’d do anything it took.

“What do I have to do, again?” Cora asked.

Elias smiled, retrieved the Separator, and held it out to Cora. “It works for up to a week, but for good measure give it to her the morning before she and your husband leave for Boston. Neal won’t have a clue and will lead her and Emma together. I’m sure he doesn’t know about Emma and Regina, but the crass girl is his only friend. Once physical contact is made, the two will be separated and no longer soulmates. This will eliminate any heightened magical threat.”

“Will it harm Regina in any way?”

“No. The only side effects I’ve ever heard of are a small electric shock, maybe a mild headache, but nothing too severe that won’t subside within a day or so.”

Satisfied, Cora took the pill and slipped it into her purse. “Consider it done.”

“I know this might be hard,” Elias told her, “but it’s what’s best for all of us.”

“I understand,” Cora said. “Regina is already a powerful young woman. I can’t imagine what would happen if additional magic and the bad influence of Miss Swan blinded her. Regina is a smart girl, but she’s naive.”

“I’m afraid Neal is the same,” Elias replied.

“One day they’ll understand, Elias. They’ll understand what we’ve done for them.”

Elias gave her a small nod. It was the time in between heartbreak and understanding that worried him. Lonely years without his son. Even lonelier than the ones he currently had, because soon Neal would be old enough to choose  _ not _ to see him.

Nevertheless, this was the path he chose. The right path for the good of the world.

“Now, shall we discuss travel arrangements for young Regina?”


	9. Theories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Kathryn discuss the party and do some more research.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me! I'm still working hard to make sure this is a great fic for all of you. :)

When Regina arrived at school that Monday, Kathryn found her immediately.

“So? Did you find anything useful at Gold’s party?” Kathryn asked.

“It was… actually more complex than I thought,” Regina replied. “Neal was there.”

“Neal? As in Emma’s  _ ex-boyfriend _ Neal?”

Regina nodded.

“Holy shit,” Kathryn whispered.

“That wasn’t the weird part,” Regina told her. “Elias Gold was trying to set us up.”

“For real? Why would he do that?” Kathryn wondered.

“He and my mother planned it,” Regina supplied. “It was obvious after I saw him. Mother had a beautiful dress set out for me and Elias checked up on us several times.”

“Yeesh. Doesn’t your mother know you’ve started connecting with your soulmate? I mean… obviously she doesn’t know  _ everything _ , but you’ve told her you’ve started dream-sharing right?”

“She didn’t seem to care much,” Regina told her. “But, I feigned interest in Neal to her so that I’ll get to visit him in Boston.”

“To see Emma?” Kathryn squealed quietly.

“Mhm.”

“You’re brilliant!” Kathryn exclaimed. “Gosh I wish my life was that exciting.”

“I don’t know about that,” Regina said, smile faltering. “I learned some pretty unsettling things from my father.”

“Like what?”

Regina glanced around. No one was near them, but she lowered her voice just in case.

“He and my mother were single dream sharers,” Regina told her. “Not to each other, though. They were discovered and… do you remember those library articles? About the testing?”

Kathryn nodded.

“Then you can imagine,” Regina said solemnly.

“They- the gov- what?!” Kathryn yelled in shock.

“Shhh!”

“Sorry! I’m just… processing,” Kathryn said.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Regina agreed. “Library after school?”

“I’m so there.”

***

The pair picked out a secluded area in the back of the library.

“Tell me everything,” Kathryn demanded.

“My parents were single dream sharers,” Regina started.

“Yeah, I remember you mentioning that,” Kathryn said, “but what do you mean ‘were’?”

“During their stay at some government-funded program that paraded itself as a counselling program, they were neurologically separated from their soulmates. They coudn’t even remember who they’d seen in their dream,” Regina told her. “Family friends turned my father in, but he doesn’t know who turned my mother in. She would never tell him.”

“Do you think her family turned her in?” Kathryn asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” Regina said. “But they went through horrific things in there. My father wouldn’t say what happened, but that tells me everything I need to know.”

“So then how did you parents end up together?” Kathryn asked.

“They came out of the center at the same time. Well, all of the people there did, but my parents decided to go to a restaurant as far away as they could get from that awful place. And then, they were just comfortable after a while. Both of them went through something traumatic that no one else would ever understand.”

“Do you think you’re a single dream sharer because they were?” Kathryn asked.

Regina paused. She hadn’t considered this. “They could never prove it was genetic.”

“No, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t,” Kathryn pointed out.

“So what, only single dream couples produce single dream children?”

“There are flaws in the logic, I’ll admit, but there has to be something,” Kathryn pressed.

“Maybe there isn’t,” Regina countered. “I don’t know why I am the way I am, but there’s no proof of any theory because the government sends people like me to centers or sics Hunters onto us.”

“I’m sorry,” Kathryn apologized. “You’re right.”

Regina looked away. She wished her best friend could understand that she’d give up her single dream sharing in an instant. She just wanted a normal experience with Emma. Then they wouldn’t be in this mess.

“I know I don’t get it,” Kathryn continued, “but I’m trying to understand everything I can.”

Regina closed her eyes and sighed.

“Tell me everything on your mind and I can’t interrupt,” Kathryn told her. “Go.”

“I’m scared for both myself and Emma. I don’t even know if she knows to suppress her magic or if she does is she doing it? I mean, _ I am _ and I feel physically ill almost all the time. Since she’s so close with Neal does that put us in more or less danger with Elias Gold? If it’s his son’s friend do you think he’d go easier on us? I mean, he works closely with my mother-- though I  _ still _ don’t know exactly what she does. What about what she and my father went through? What happened? Why did it happen? Why are people so afraid? Couldn’t single dream sharers be taught to channel their magic? Why couldn’t Emma and I  _ just be normal?” _

They sat in silence for a few moments.

“Wow, you’ve got a lot going on up there,” Kathryn said finally.

“I just want to feel safe again,” Regina whispered.

Kathryn reached across the table and took her hand.

“No matter what, I’ll keep you safe.”

Regina gave her a small smile. “Thank you. But I know we’re in a power struggle that may end badly.”

Kathryn pulled away and straightened her back and got serious. “First thing’s first. We need to find out how your magic will react when you meet Emma in person.”

“Oh gods, I didn’t even think of that,” Regina admitted.

“That’s why I’m here,” Kathryn teased. “Besides, if suppressing your magic _ now _ is making you nauseous, I can’t imagine what it would feel like when you’ve unlocked it all.”

“It’s going to get harder to hide,” Regina realized.

Regina dropped her head heavily onto her arms, her voice muffled by the table. “This is a nightmare.”

“Who knew discovering your soulmate would lead to a life or death situation,” Kathryn said.

Regina sat up. “I’m going to fight for her.”

“I have no doubt about that,” Kathryn replied.

“I… I’m going to fight for all of us!” Regina exclaimed.

“All single dream sharers?”

Regina nodded. “It’s not fair that my parents never got to meet and be with their soulmate.  It’s not fair that we’re an outcast group when all they have to do is help us channel our magic. We already have to be taught that as kids! How is this any different?”

“It doesn’t feel like it should be different,” Kathryn agreed.

Unexpectedly, their sex ed teacher Ms. French rounded the corner, searching for a book.

Both girls immediately clammed up, not sure what she’d heard.

“Uh, hello, Ms. French!” Kathryn exclaimed nervously.

Ms. French looked up from her search, startled she’d come across a few of her students. “Well hello, Kathryn. Regina. What brings you to the library?”

“Oh you know… the physics of transportation!” Regina blurted.

“You two won’t be doing that for another year,” Ms. French said, “but I guess it’s never too early to start learning the basics.”

“Very true,” Regina replied.

“Ms. French,” Kathryn called, as their teacher started to walk away.

“Hmm?”

“I was wondering more about dream sharing. We didn’t have a whole lot of time to discuss it,” Kathryn said.

Regina turned and gave her best friend a look. What was she doing?

“What would you like to know?” Ms. French asked.

“Well, I was just thinking. Are there any soulmates where dream sharing is… different?” Kathryn asked.

Ms. French got a wistful look on her face. “Oh yes, there are plenty of different circumstances.”

“Like what?” Regina asked, suddenly curious.

“I don’t talk about this often, but take me for example,” she started. “When I was your age, I started to dream share like normal, but a few months later… there was nothing. I haven’t had a shared dream or a dream at all since.”

_ “Nothing?” _ Kathryn asked in disbelief.

Ms. French shook her head. “At first I couldn’t understand why, but eventually I came to the conclusion that my soulmate had probably died.”

“So once your soulmate dies you just… don’t dream?” Kathryn asked cautiously.

Ms. French shrugged. “I have no proof of anything. There aren’t many studies around dream sharing.”

“What are some other examples?” Regina asked.

“I’ve heard of people who don’t  _ start _ dream sharing until their 20s or so,” she admitted. “No one quite knows why.”

“They really haven’t done much research into this, have they?” Kathryn asked.

Ms. French shook her head. “Most people believe we just need to let it be. It’s a natural process and what happens, happens.”

“And have there been any cases of interference?” Regina pressed.

Ms. French paused. “I’ve only heard stories,” she admitted. “But I’ve heard of people being separated from their soulmate. Oh, the article was about a period in our history so long ago though. I don’t believe that to still be happening now.”

Kathryn and Regina shared a look. Ms. French was a lovely woman and a great teacher, but she was too trusting sometimes.

“Does that answer your question?” Ms. French asked.

Kathryn plastered on a smile. “It does! Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Ms. French replied, before continuing her search.

“The good news is, it sounds like she didn’t hear our conversation,” Kathryn whispered.

“The bad news is, no one really knows how dream sharing works,” Regina replied.

“That’s got to be a lie,” Kathryn countered. “Hunters like Elias have been  _ inside people’s unconscious _ . Hunters would know more than anyone else.”

“Wait, how do you know  _ that?” _

“Oh! I read it in that article about the single dream sharers,” Kathryn told her. “You must have skimmed over that part.”

“Are you telling me that Elias Gold can get into my subconscious?” Regina asked in alarm.

“The article wasn’t detailed as to how and I figured you have to be in a lab for that to happen,” Kathryn shrugged. “Everything was very medical.”

Regina stood in a panic. “Maybe back then, Kathryn,” Regina hissed through her teeth, “but times have changed! Technology has changed!”

“Oh shit,” Kathryn whispered. “Do you think he even suspects you?”

“I don’t think so, I was pretty convincing in my interest of Neal,” Regina told her.

Regina felt herself losing control of her magic with her panic.

“Regina…” Kathryn called, leaning back from her a bit.

“I know!” Regina snapped, starting to pace. “I’m trying to control it.”

Kathryn stood and pulled Regina into a hug. “Just hold onto me. The panic will pass.”

Regina held onto Kathryn as tightly as she could. Even before her heightened magic, this was something Kathryn would do for her. She would sometimes crack under her mother’s expectations and Kathryn was there for her every time.

After taking a few deep breaths and feeling the warmth radiate off of her friend, Regina regained control. When she stepped back, the burden of her extra magic didn’t seem so hard to suppress.

“Wow, you’re really hiding a lot of magic,” Kathryn realized.

“Yeah,” Regina confirmed. “But… it doesn’t feel so heavy right now.”

Kathryn paused before gasping. “Maybe that’s it!”

“What’s it?”

“Single dream soulmates  _ need _ each other to control their magic!”

“Okay, but what about that first couple discovered? The one that destroyed their community,” Regina asked.

“I’m getting that article right now,” Kathryn exclaimed, practically running toward the section she’d found it.

Regina sat down, anxious at what they might find.

When Kathryn returned, they combed through the article very meticulously.

“I don’t think they did it,” Kathryn said finally. “At least, not on purpose.”

“There’s nothing here that proves that,” Regina replied.

“What about this right here,” Kathryn pointed to a passage quoting a neighbor.

“What about it?” Regina asked.

“Earlier in the article it talked about how that particular neighbor wasn’t exactly friends with the couple.”   
“What does that prove?”

“It doesn’t prove anything,” Kathryn admitted. “But Regina! The history that is preserved is told by the winning side. What if that neighbor did something? What if he kept them apart and caused the magical disaster?”

“That’s all speculation,” Regina said dismissively.

“Regina, we’re not going to get proof from a article written hundreds of years ago. This microfiche isn’t even the original. They had to redo it due to its age. Anyone could’ve edited anything out.”

Regina hesitated. Kathryn had a point. Maybe single dream sharers  _ weren’t _ actually dangerous. Maybe the whole magical world had been conditioned to thinks so.

“You may be onto something,” Regina told her.

“We won’t know until you and Emma meet.”

Regina nodded. “I need to finalize plans with my mother. My father will be coming with me as a chaperone. He promised he’d help me.”

“While it’s upsetting Henry was separated from his soulmate, it’s pretty great that he can be here for you now,” Kathryn said.

“Yeah, I’m pretty lucky.”

Kathryn glanced up at the clock. “Guess we better get going. Let me know when you get to visit  _ Neal _ .”

Regina laughed. “Oh, I’m  _ so _ looking forward to spending time with my future  _ husband _ .”

They erupted into a fit of giggles as they gathered their stuff and exited the library.


	10. Boston

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina goes to Boston with her father to get more acquainted with Neal. Things do not go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the 2 months of radio silence! The short of it is: depression.
> 
> Although the more exciting reason it has taken me so long to update is that I'm an author for this year's Protostar challenge! I'm also betaing, so I'm working with two amazing people. <3
> 
> It's a short chapter, y'all, but after September I'll be way more focused on this. ^_^

Cora told Regina that she was to travel to Boston to see Neal next weekend.

“I know that’s fairly soon, but you two got along so nicely. I know you’d love to spend more time with him.”

“Absolutely,” Regina said. “He’s a true gentleman.”

“Excellent,” Cora clapped her hands together once. Regina had never seen her so excited in her life. She was really pushing Regina to choose Neal.

If only she knew...

***

On that Friday evening, Regina was anxious. She was about to meet her soulmate, the woman she was going to spend the rest of her life with. The woman she would fight for until there was nothing left to fear. But she couldn’t show any of these emotions as she said her goodbyes to her mother and Zelena.

Zelena was particularly unhappy and Regina thought back to their conversation they’d had the night before.

_ “It’s just for the weekend,” Regina said. “It’s not like I’m marrying him and never coming back. I’m not leaving you. Besides, he’s not my soulmate.” _

_ “We’ve been over this. Not everyone finds their soulmate. And I don’t believe Mother to be too interested in us finding ours. She just wants us married to a man in the highest position of power,” Zelena replied. _

_ “Neal doesn’t have any power,” Regina countered, “he’s in the foster system.” _

_ “His  _ father _ is powerful. As fucked up as that situation is, Elias Gold values his son and you’re walking straight into an arranged marriage. Leaving me with Mother.” _

“You’ll find someone,” Regina whispered to Zelena as she gave her older sister a hug.

“Just don’t leave me yet,” Zelena whispered back, tugging gently at Regina’s braid.

As Regina pulled away from her sister she nodded in agreement.

“Goodbye, Mother,” Regina said, giving her mother a quick hug.

“Before you go,” Cora said, gently holding onto her arm. “Boston can be a bit of a dirty place. It’s a city after all. I want you to take a vitamin before you go.”

Cora pulled out a small black iridescent pill and bottle of water from her purse.

_ Is one vitamin going to keep me from getting sick? _ Regina wondered. But she wouldn’t question her mother. She was too close to getting what she wanted.

“Yes, Mother,” Regina said automatically, taking the pill and swallowing it.

With that, she and Henry loaded into the car provided by Elias Gold and were on their way.

“Are you nervous, mija?” Henry asked. “Neal certainly is a nice boy.”

Regina smiled internally. Her father knew that no one could be trusted and she was grateful for that.

“I’m a little nervous,” she admitted, fiddling with her hair. “I don’t know him very well yet, but I do feel a connection with him.”

Henry nodded. “Yes. Just get to know each other and everything will work out fine.”

The rest of the drive was fairly quiet.

When they arrived at the hotel, Neal was waiting for them, dressed in a similar outfit he’d been wearing the first time she’d met him while she was in Emma’s body.

Regina saw the driver, Sidney, sneer and shake his head when he caught sight of Neal.

“Apologies, Ms. Mills. The young Mr. Gold was told to dress appropriately,” Sidney apologized.

“It’s quite alright,” Regina replied. “This is his city, after all.”

Neal opened the door for her and her father, giving a huge, dramatic bow. “Welcome to my humble little corner of the world.”

Regina laughed. “Thank you kind sir,” she replied, curtsying.

A bellhop came out and took their bags as Sidney assured them he’d be back in two days to pick them up.

“I made sure Elias couldn’t see our every move this weekend,” Neal told her. “I told him I wanted the driver gone and that I’d handle transportation.”

“Oh? And how are you handling it?” Regina asked.

“Well for dinner we’re just walking down the street to the pizzaria, but later you’ll see,” he told her, shooting her a cheeky grin.

Regina grinned back before getting serious. “My first meeting with Emma must be while my father is present.”

Neal glanced over to where Henry was talking with the doorman. “Do you trust him?”

“He already knew long before I told him. I trust him with my life,” Regina told him.

“Then I trust him too,” Neal said.

“Thank you,” Regina said sincerely. “I know it must be difficult to trust him due to…”

“My own father being a giant dick?” Neal supplied.

Regina covered her mouth, trying not to laugh. “I wasn’t going to be so crass about it, but yes.”

“Yo, Mr. Mills!” Neal called out. “You ready to get some grub?”

***

The pizzaria was nice. Regina was able to order whatever she liked, which was not something that would’ve happened with her mother present. The conversation went from cordial to comfortable fairly quickly. Her father didn’t stifle the conversation at all and, actually, added to it.

Once they were finished, Neal reiterated that he was taking care of transportation.

“And how, pray tell, are you doing that?” Regina asked.

Neal shrugged. “I guess I better call our ride. Meet me out back in like ten minutes.”

Neal got up from the table, leaving behind a puzzled Regina.

She and her father looked at each other, unsure of what to expect.

When they finally made it out back Regina was speechless. There, sitting in the middle of the parking lot, was an old, beat up, yellow bug.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Neal asked, real appreciation in his eyes for the old car.

“Um…”

“What do you think?” Neal asked.

Regina approached the car slowly. “It looks like a metal death trap on wheels,” she told him honestly.

Someone inside the car started to laugh.

“Neal, who-?”

“Surprise!” Emma shouted as she sat up from the driver’s seat.

Regina covered her mouth with both hands in shock. “Emma!”

Emma got out of the car and did a bow just as dramatic as Neal had done earlier.

“In the flesh,” she said.

“Wow… I…”

“Your girl is speechless,” Neal said to Emma.

“I didn’t know I’d be seeing her so soon,” Regina admitted.

Emma stepped forward, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Are you at least glad to see me?”

“Absolutely,” Regina told her.

The two looked each other up and down, not quite sure what to do now that they were really seeing each other.

“I’m not sure how to proceed,” Regina said, glance over at her father for some sign of what to do.

“Start with a handshake?” Emma offered, shrugging.

Regina grinned. “Why not?”

Emma stuck out her hand, which Regina took gently into her own.

With a sudden shock, everything went dark.


End file.
